ND's Lewis too busy for Tech nostalgia

September 02, 2006|ERIC HANSEN Tribune Staff Writer

ATLANTA -- About the only revelation Bill Lewis was willing to share about his homecoming tonight at Georgia Tech was that he'll probably need ear plugs. "It's going to be a loud, loud, wild situation," the Notre Dame second-year defensive backs coach said of tonight's Irish season opener against the program Lewis led for three seasons (1992-94). And beyond that, feelings of nostalgia? A chance for vindication? "It's not about me," Lewis said tersely. "This is so much more important than that. This is about Notre Dame playing their opening football game. Georgia Tech happens to be our opponent, a very capable opponent, but there's absolutely nothing that has anything to do with me and my previous association with Georgia Tech. Absolutely nothing." For the record Lewis was 11-19 in three seasons at Tech, sandwiched between the Bobby Ross and George O'Leary eras. Youth movement Not only has Notre Dame's plentiful and proficient freshman class made a big dent in the two-deeps, the young Irish are providing an unexpected benefit to the progress of the ND squad. Beefed-up scout teams. It is the scout teams' job to simulate the opponent in practice each week, and there's been an influx of speed, strength and athleticism in those simulations. "We've been pretty pleased with what they've been able to do with providing us some realistic looks that we feel are close to game speed," Irish quarterback Brady Quinn said. "You can't completely mirror a game, but you can get pretty close." If there's a potential downside to a glut of prodigies, it's that ND head coach Charlie Weis has to be mindful of chemistry issues -- that older players who have waited a long time to see the field may now be sitting behind a younger player. "Chemistry is always important," Weis said. "But the best guys play. Just as long as your team knows you're going totally from objectivity and you're not making decisions based on subjectivity, they'll know they're being treated fair. "Now (the displaced veterans) may not like it, but they know they're being treated fairly. I talk to the team about it all the time, and I don't think it's a major issue here." Harris poll Senior left tackle Ryan Harris' long layoff during preseason practice apparently didn't faze him in the least. "He's got a lot of ability," Irish offensive line coach John Latina said. "He's very athletic. He's got quickness in his feet and he's a veteran player. Veteran players like him see things coming before they happen. They can anticipate things in a game, because they've seen it on film enough. They know it's coming." Calling card Friday was the first day college coaches could call prospects during the recruiting season that culminates in February of 2007. And Weis wasted no time, starting the barrage of phone calls at 7 a.m. What he won't rush is offering scholarships to high school juniors. "I think with a junior, it's important to make sure you have more evidence (he can play) than you would on a senior," Weis said. "If you're going to go on a junior, you have to be willing for them to say yes. And if you make a mistake on a guy two years early, that's a major mistake. "There's always contingencies, them doing everything right academically and all those other things, but you're very slow on (juniors). You don't go and jump all over those because you better have a lot of evidence. Sometimes watching tape is not enough. Sometimes it would be a combination of watching tape and having them in camp for a week. Sometimes you feel good enough about flipping the switch on that one." Making a list ESPN The Magazine's Bruce Feldman compiled a list of the Top 100 players in college football, and six Irish found their way onto it. Quarterback Brady Quinn, at No. 2, got nosed out for the top spot by Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis, USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny round out the top five. Other ND players in the Hot 100 are wide receiver Jeff Samardzija (20), defensive end Victor Abiamiri (60), safety/punt returner Tom Zbikowski (70), wide receiver Rhema McKnight (79) and running back Darius Walker (86). Just missing the cut for the Irish was defensive tackle Derek Landri. Besides Jarrett and Posluszny, 13 other players ND will face this season made the list: Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson (7), USC offensive tackle Sam Baker (22), Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton (23), USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson (31), Michigan running back Mike Hart (35), USC center Ryan Kalil (58), Michigan cornerback Leon Hall (62), USC wide receiver Steve Smith (74), Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown (80), Penn State wide receiver/kick returner Derrick Williams (87), USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (90), Penn State defensive tackle Jay Alford (96) and Michigan defensive end/outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (98). Personnel matters Weis late in the week added one player to the travel squad, but he wasn't willing to divulge who that player is. "I'm not trying to play a guessing game," Weis said, "but at the same time I don't want (Georgia Tech) to know who's going and who's not going. There's no reason for them to have the list of the 67 guys I'm taking on the trip."

A decision on whether sophomore offensive lineman Michael Turkovich would make the trip wasn't expected until Friday morning. Turkovich suffered a blow to the head on Aug. 15 and missed several days of practice.

"He's still iffy," Weis said Thursday evening. "We'll make a decision on him (Friday) right before we go." Turkovich practiced Thursday and Weis wanted to consult with coaches and trainers before making a final decision. "When you go out and bang him around a little bit, then you want to see what his reaction's going to be, how sore he is the next day," Weis said. Staff writer Eric Hansen: ehansen@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6470